To my family, travel is our expression of adventure. It is one of our greatest indulgences and our source of respite from our day-to-day. We research and plan ahead of time. My hubby has become so adept at finding such novel places to stay and visit. He painstakingly scours the internet and many books for information on a particular landmark or little town.

On our trip to Turkey, we were with more family. We were regaled with such beauty and preservation of culture as we went through notable towns and archaeological sites across Western Anatolia. Turkey is like no other country we have been to. It is after all, thousands of years old.

The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, Photo Credit (c) Likeitiz

The experience for us was completely foreign to everything we have experienced so far. We have been to many countries where Latin-derived languages predominated, with the exception of perhaps, Prague, where the Czech language is derived from the Slavic languages. Being Asian, we can pick up here and there some phrases and nuances in the Asian languages. The Turkish Language has evolved too over the centuries. And no, we could not use any smart phrases we learned along the way in the other countries we have so far visited.

We did learn a few basic phrases: teşekkürederimOr pronounced as Te-shekur-eh-derem (Tea-Sugar-A Dream!), which means “I thank you.” Günaydın, which means “good morning.” And there’s “Chok yasha!” which is said when someone sneezes. It means, “May you live long.” To that it would be proper to respond, “Shan de gur,” which means, “May you live long enough to see me live long.” Neat huh?

13 Responses to Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreign

You are most welcome! I take it you have some power where you live now? I sure hope so. The rebuilding of All the places where Sandy left her mark will be long. I hope that where you are it’s not so bad. 🙂

The Library of Celsus , the Blue Mosque, the Yerberatan Cisterns and the Temple of Hadrian are all beautiful. A priceless piece of Art created by man, carrying with them a history so amazing , there are no words to truly describe them. Thanks for sharing your adventures. I may not be able to see them in person but through your post , it felt like I already did.

Ephesus is a stunning place. And just thinking about the fact that it’s from the time of ancient Greeks makes it even more stunning. I have been there once, I was really impressed. Unfortunately I have not been able to go to Istanbul yet, but hope one day to be able to. Thanks for sharing your trip and the beautiful photographs.